Humanitarian Interventions: Ethical Dilemmas for Humanitarian NGOs

The debate about ‘humanitarian interventions’ considers the roles of humanitarian organizations only peripherally—for example, when they are put in the position of having to judge the legitimacy of state-led interventions. Yet, the perspective of humanitarian organizations on military interventions for human protection purposes is enlightening beyond that. It shows that humanitarian interventions are closely related to humanitarian action and deeply rooted in humanitarianism. Humanitarian organizations are thus much more closely related to these kinds of military interventions than they would usually wish to reveal. This closeness poses ethical dilemmas for them and makes humanitarian actors concerned with drawing clear demarcation lines. Finally, it furthers consequentialist ethics of humanitarian aid and impels humanitarian organizations to become more politically sensitive towards their own modes of operation and effects. Humanitarian interventionism thus reinforces the view of humanitarian organizations as, ultimately, highly political actors.